Texas Senior Manzano Eyes Ncaas, Olympic Games

Leonel Manzano received his initiation into world-class running last summer. The 5-5, 125-pound senior at Texas was about 30 meters into a first-round heat in the 1,500 meters at the world championships in Osaka, Japan, when an elbow was planted in his chest. Welcome to the big time, kid.

“Running against the best people in the world, they’re not going to let you get an inch,” says Manzano, who finished 13th and did not advance. “I went in there with no experience at that level. I’m trying to fight these guys, and they’re like, ‘What are you doing?’ It seemed like I was thrown in the back.

“In high school and college, you don’t see that kind of aggression. It was an awesome experience. What better timing, the year before the Olympics and trials. It was something I really needed.”

Manzano, 23, who was born in Mexico, arrived in the USA at age 4 and became a citizen in 2004, will be a favorite in the 1,500 at the NCAA championships June 11-14 in Des Moines. The surprise winner as a freshman in 2005, he’s seeking bookend titles.

“That would be a great way to finish my career at UT,” he says.
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He might also be one of the few collegians to make the U.S. Olympic team when he runs the 1,500 at the trials June 27-July 6 in Eugene, Ore. He was second at the USA Championships last year and third in 2006.

Manzano ran his 1,500 best of 3 minutes, 35.29 seconds, equivalent to a 3:52 mile, in last year’s U.S. final. “He’s quite gifted in the sense of racing,” says Jason Vigilante, an assistant to Texas coach Bubba Thornton, the 2008 U.S. men’s Olympic coach, and Manzano’s coach for four years. “Winning is most important to him. Times don’t mean a lot to him. He will always give 100% to complete the race as well as he can regardless of his physical condition. Coupled with that, the pace never seems to bother him.”

Manzano is known for his ability to kick off a fast or slow pace. He came from the back of the pack to win his NCAA 1,500 title. He blew away competitors with his finishes on anchor legs in the Texas and Penn relays.

“He’s got natural foot speed and the ability to change paces,” Vigilante says. “There’s so much to him. Everything about him is a delight. He’s such a nice young man, respectful and honest. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to work with him every day.”

Manzano, who ran a 4:06 mile as a high school junior, began running in middle school. His father, Jesus, operates a rock-crushing machine at a road materials plant. His mother, Maria, is a part-time maid. They weren’t initially enthused with his new activity.

“My parents came here to have a better life and give us more opportunities to succeed,” says Manzano, the oldest of four children, who has done landscaping work for a relative. “They were and still are all about hard work: Go out, get yourself a job. I had a job at 12.

“My parents probably had a third- or fourth-grade education back in Mexico. They had no idea what going to college or playing a sport was. To this day I have a lot of family in the same situation. With me running, they’ve figured out there’s more than just breaking your back with hard labor all the time.”

His parents are now fans. Their biggest contribution to his success is the way they raised him.

“Leo takes pride in everything he does,” Vigilante says. “Here’s a guy who didn’t start learning English until he was 4, and his GPA is important to him. All his professors will tell you how conscientious he is. He doesn’t like to be known just as, the running competitor.”

Manzano, who needs nine credits to graduate and is scheduled to get them in the fall, wants to continue running and plans to stay in Austin to be coached by Vigilante.

“I love this town,” Manzano says. “The group of guys I’m with here can take my training to the next level. We have great facilities. Coach Vigilante is very knowledgeable and always has something prepared. What better place.”

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Thursday, May 15th, 2008

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Foreigners face more crime in China from tourist scams to hostagetaking

SHANGHAI, China The troubled Chinese man, obsessed with his outstanding debts, boarded the tourist bus and opened his jacket to reveal explosives. In the only English he spoke that morning, he told the frightened Australian passengers, “I’m sorry.”

Hours later, the assailant was shot dead by a police sniper, his blood spattering a hostage’s jeans. Police jumped over her and shot him again to make sure he was dead.

The incident earlier this month in Xi’an, one of China’s most popular tourist cities, was an embarrassment for China as it prepares for the global spotlight that comes with this summer’s Olympic Games.

Because of China’s tightly controlled political system, statistics that break down crime against foreigners were unavailable. But anecdotal evidence suggests foreigners are increasingly targeted, as a booming economy erodes old taboos and some Chinese grow bolder or like the hostage-taker, more desperate.

In cosmopolitan Shanghai in recent months, a foreigner had a knife put to his throat and his money taken. Another was tricked into paying up to $1,000 for a $7 taxi ride. Four thugs surrounded an English boxing star, Ricky Hatton, and stole his $8,000 Rolex.

Shanghai and Beijing are still safer than most foreign cities of their size. Punishments for crimes against foreigners are heavier, police-linked neighborhood watch groups are highly vigilant, and Chinese can’t own guns.

“China is of course one of the safest places in the world,” Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said at a recent news briefing when asked about foreigners’ safety. “If you don’t believe me, ask your ambassador, ask the U.S. ambassador, ask any ambassador from Western countries, do they feel it is safer in China or safer elsewhere?”

But the booming economy draws millions to China to work, study and travel, and criminals increasingly are defying a culture that has long considered foreigners inviolate.

The U.S. government now warns Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities.

In the past year, Chinese media have reported incidents such as the robbery of three foreigners in Nanjing, the robbery at knifepoint of a foreigner in poor Guizhou Province and the kidnapping of a foreigner, who was released the next day, for a ransom of more than $40,000 in the rich southern city of Shenzhen. All the reports refer to “wai guo ren,” or foreigners, without giving nationalities.

Still, the Ministry of Public Security reports that last year it counted 289,000 robberies and 171,000 bag-snatchings overall a tiny number for a country of 1.3 billion people. It reported only that murder and kidnapping were down 10 percent and 1.5 percent respectively from the year before, without giving the number of cases. Nor did it detail statistics on crimes against foreigners.

When the Olympics begin in August and the world focuses on China, the nation’s police will face the challenge of preventing crime without resorting to harsher methods than many countries would accept.

It’s not known whether the explosives in the tour bus could have detonated, but the mayor of Xi’an said using a sniper against the hostage-taker was “an appropriate way” to settle the incident and protect the Australians.

That the hostages were foreign travel agents looking into China tourism was no help to a country that already is second only to the U.S. in the size of its tourist economy. China had nearly 125 million visitor arrivals in 2006, the national tourist office said. A report released this month by the London-based World Travel and Tourism Council estimated tourism will bring China about $592 billion this year.

“There are more expatriates. There is also more money. These things lead to new pressures,” said Robert Broadfoot, managing director of the Hong Kong-based Economic and Political Risk Consultancy.

And much of the crime against foreigners appears to involve scams against tourists.

Last week, Xinhua, the official news agency, reported the bust of a taxi gang in Shanghai that allegedly had scammed more than a dozen foreigners out of $7,000 in less than two months.

“The number of scams in China is humongous,” said Philippe Tzou, a Belgian who works for a trade company in Shanghai and organizes the local chapter of Couchsurfing, a global network of budget travelers. He said some scam artists try to lure foreigners into karaoke clubs, where they can be billed about $425 an hour.

Consulates warn foreigners to beware of Chinese who invite foreigners to a teahouse, ostensibly to practice their English, then present them with a huge bill and sometimes threaten violence.

Such crime is a byproduct of China’s newly freewheeling economy and more mobile society. “The ability of control in China now is a lot less than it was,” said Broadfoot.

But he added, “Gee, on the security side, I’d rather have the Olympics in Beijing than in L.A. Though both cities will get you with pollution.”

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Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

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Romney comments on Hinckleys death

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. At a quick sunrise press conference at a gas station Monday morning, presidential candidate Mitt Romney addressed the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley.

“We will miss him as a family, respect him as a man of great character and courage but particularly his humility and ability to touch the lives of each individual is something that for which he will long be noted,” Romney said. “His ability also to talk to people throughout the world and to make close relationships with people in the public sector and in the media distinguish him as one of the great leaders in our faith and his effort to reach out across the world into far away lands and to build temples for our church is something which will also give him a legacy that will last many, many years indeed and we will miss his leadership.”

Romney said he did not know Hinckley on a personal level until the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, where he met with the president and his counselors a handful of times to ask for contributions as well as access to church property next to the ski jump and for the medals plaza.

“I was impressed by his knowledge of the detail,” Romney said. “We asked for the ability to use a city block, which the church owned, which had four parking lots on it … for us to level the parking lot and turn it into a plaza for the medals ceremonies.
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Friday, March 7th, 2008

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President Bush mourns Gordon B. Hinckley

Statement from President George W. Bush:

Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of our friend, Gordon B. Hinckley. While serving for over seven decades in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon demonstrated the heart of a servant and the wisdom of a leader. He was a tireless worker and a talented communicator who was respected in his community and beloved by his congregation. As President of his church, he traveled to more than 60 countries to spread a message of love and optimism to the millions of people around the world who shared his faith.

A Mayflower descendent and the grandson of Mormon pioneers, Gordon was a deeply patriotic man. His leadership and service strengthened the Board of Trustees of Brigham Young University, the Boy Scouts of America, and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. In 2004, I was honored to present him with the Medal of Freedom, our Nation’s highest civil award, in recognition of his lifelong public service.

Laura and I will miss Gordon’s friendship and wisdom. Our thoughts and prayers are with his five children and the rest of the Hinckley family.

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Friday, March 7th, 2008

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Cheap Hot Tubs Spain are They Worth Buying

Should you consider buying a cheap Chinese Hot Tub or a proper made American or European Product?

Well what are the advantages and disadvantages?

The price is one consideration as cheap Chinese poorly produced goods are cheaper than properly made American or European products.

The pumps in the Chinese spas seem to be of a reasonable quality

The Jets may be made outside of China or they could be Chinese but it does not matter as the Jets they install are very basic even lacking the ability to adjust up or down. Over a little while the chemicals that are used in Hot Tubs will destroy the moving parts of the Jet, something that the American have had some 40 or 45 years to solve

What other drawbacks are there?

The first and major one is that the designs are out of date and lack the developments that the Americans have developed in both Hydrotherapy and Hydro massage. After all Roy Jacuzzi was of Italian origin and was not borne in China other wise he might have been called Roy Chiang Kai-shek.

Also it is a lot easier to understand and indeed telephone Americans or Europeans it is a lot harder to telephone China. Our client tried it two or three times to no avail.

The Chinese tubs are made in an oppressive regime where athletes attending the Olympic Games cannot even have freedom of speech. This reminds one of a similar european country run by a dictator some years ago in the 1930’s.

The point is the labour conditions are poor. The quality control does not exist. How can I say this, simple, we have recently installed a Chinese spa for a client

The spa looked good until we probed a little.

The problems

Bad wiring - cables dragging on the floor not properly tied up or secure/ Low capacity cables and badly layed out

No floor, so the whole spa was exposed to the ground the elements and those lovely little beasties that chew threw car ignition leads and those beasties will make mince meat of the cables on this spa

The frame was made of iron and looked like it had been assembled by a couple of children. It was not square or properly put together. The filter was designed in such a way so that the water would not flow from top to bottom so that the whole of the filter would not be used. Very bad design.

The circulation pump would not start as it was cabled up incorrectly on the main circuit board. Not a problem that was an easy fault to fix.

However, the pump has no timer or ability to be programmed, it is either on or off.

The Ozone was pathetic in that it just seemed to produce big bubbles and not ozone and in a small area only the ozone was not being injected into the water.

No insulation what so ever either on the side panels and whilst heat rises a lack of a floor is a definite disadvantage. This spa may have an initial lower cost but the total cost over its useful life will probably be very expensive. This is a bit like spoiling the ship for a happorth of tar a famous old English expression but as with all things you tend to get what you pay for.

As they say if you pay peanuts you get monkeys or what I would call a pig in a poke. I would not give you house room for one and if you offered me one for free I don’t want it as the thought of catching alight or shorting out is too much of a risk to take;

People often think that buying some thing that looks good for peanuts is a clever idea but when it comes from a country that whilst an engineering giant is many decades behind the west in basic manufacturing standards and all it really has is very very cheap and inexperienced labour.

The best advice remains buy a product from a reputable American manufacturer and from our point of view whilst it was an interesting experience we will not touch a piece of junk like that again.

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Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

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Singapore: On a high after big win for sports tourism

By Yusof Sulaiman | Feb 26, 2008

(eTN) - Singaporeans are still rejoicing at the announcement by Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Council (IOC) president, that Singapore has won the bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2010 over nine other cities.

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Thursday, February 28th, 2008

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Ski cross is excellent addition to Olympics

When it came time to vote for a new Olympic event last year %26#151; women’s ski jumping or ski cross %26#151; it was the new game, ski cross, that won.

It came down to old versus new; a century-old sport versus a new upstart in the skiing game.

And, after seeing an event %26#151; the first World Cup race held in North American a couple of weeks back at Deer Valley %26#151; it’s easier to understand the selection outcome.

Ski cross isn’t difficult to figure out. The first skier across the finish is the winner. There’s no guesswork, no waiting for judges’ decisions and no second-guessing those decisions.

Which is obviously why it was selected as a new addition to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. And why, in the selection process, the International Olympic Committee said it was chosen “because of strong appeal for the younger generation.”

I agree with those I talked with at the event that ski cross is a fun, exciting event and one worthy of the Olympics.

I heard rumblings around the event that ski cross could be the booster-shot the free-style program needs, particularly in aerials.

Bill Marolt, president/CEO of the U.S. Ski Team, in reviewing the U.S. program, talked about how strong all disciplines were, with the exception of aerials, “which needs work.”
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Aerials is not a skiing event skiers gravitate toward. You don’t ski down a run and suddenly decide to do a full-full-full, or three flips with three twists. Thus, the field of applicants is small.

Ski cross, now, is very different. It involves four skiers racing down a course composed of jumps, turns, banks, hits, rollers and natural terrain features. Or, features every skier encounters now and then on a typical ski day.

Admittedly, the two big flaws in the event are the start and passing. The skier who is first out of the gate is very likely going to be the first across the finish.

And, passing a skier taking the fastest line down the course is sometimes next to impossible. One official reported going to a race where there was not a single pass.

Course designers are trying to lay out courses in such a way as to allow for passing. There were several good passes made on the Deer Valley course, including two memorable ones by Casey Puckett, a former U.S. alpine racer, the last one in the final heat that gave him second place.

The sport is new, however, and still in the design process. Several racers I talked with admitted that U.S. course designers were far ahead of their European counterparts, so it’s very likely the course problems will be figured out before 2010.

It was also obvious at the Deer Valley event that the U.S. men have embraced the sport and the women haven’t. Now retired U.S. alpine racers, like Puckett, Daron Rahlves and Jacob Fiala, have moved over to ski cross “to extend their careers.” The new U.S. coach, Tyler Shepherd, said he’s talked with several former women racers about ski cross and has yet to get any takers.

I don’t think there’s any question that ski cross is an event permanently implanted in the Olympic Games, if for no other reason that it’s the one alpine event that offers viewers and spectators instant gratification.

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Thursday, February 14th, 2008

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Church group plans protest at Pres. Hinckleys funeral

The tens of thousands of people expected to flock downtown for President Gordon B. Hinckley’s funeral Saturday likely will want to avoid the southwest corner of North Temple and State Street.

Salt Lake City officials said the Westboro Baptist Church has applied for a permit for a “religious demonstration” on the corner, just one block east of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Conference Center, where President Hinckley’s funeral will be held. The permit was in the process of being approved Wednesday afternoon, said Shawn McDonough, the city’s special events administrator.

A handful of members of the church, based in Topeka, Kan., plan to stage a quiet protest during the funeral, displaying picket signs criticizing the late LDS Church leader for being a “lying false prophet” and “leading millions of people astray,” said Shirley Phelps-Roper, Westboro Baptist Church spokeswoman and daughter of Pastor Fred Phelps.

Westboro Baptist Church members have picketed several military funerals and other memorial services, saying that the war in Iraq and tragedies such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are God’s punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.
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Phelps-Roper also criticized President Hinckley for being too accepting of homosexuals, accusing him of having an “ambiguous voice” about the gay lifestyle rather than taking a firm stand against it.

President Hinckley died Sunday evening after nearly 13 years at the head of the LDS Church. Funeral services are set to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Conference Center, 60 W. North Temple.

Salt Lake police will be handling traffic and crowd control for the funeral, as well as enforcing state law and city guidelines for protesting during funerals, said Det. Jared Wihongi.

Legislation sponsored by Rep. Ron Bigelow, R-West Valley City, and passed by the Utah Legislature last year makes it a class B misdemeanor to demonstrate in a noisy and disruptive manner within 200 feet of a funeral or memorial service from an hour before the funeral to an hour after the service.

The law prohibits protesters from blocking or impeding a funeral procession, but it doesn’t ban them from quietly demonstrating in view of those attending the funeral or along the procession route.

In addition, Salt Lake City’s permitting process for protests makes it clear to applicants that they cannot touch or attempt to restrain people to get them to listen to their message, and that “fighting words” %26#151; personal insults likely to create a violent reaction %26#151; are not protected by the First Amendment.

Wihongi said police have the responsibility to maintain order and civility by protecting the protesters’ free-speech rights as well as the rights of the general public.

“If they have a permit, they’re allowed to be there,” he said, “but we’ll definitely be enforcing the law.”

Police will determine whether the demonstration meets the guidelines of protected free speech. Phelps-Roper, who will not be among the protesters in Salt Lake City on Saturday, said at least one of the picket signs will read, “Hinckley is in hell.”

Wihongi said the planned demonstration creates potential for altercations between the protesters and those attending the funeral. He advises people who don’t agree with the protesters’ message to avoid them or at least ignore them.

“They want an audience,” Wihongi said. “They want conflict. If people are aware that (protesters) are going to be there, they can prepare themselves to deal emotionally with that and avoid them if they can.”

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church have protested in Utah before. In June, three members of the group demonstrated a few blocks away from a funeral of a South Jordan soldier. The protesters held signs displaying messages such as “pray for more dead soldiers.”

The group also was among protesters who flocked to Salt Lake City during the 2002 Olympic Games. Its members previously protested outside the Conference Center in October 2001. The group has scheduled protests for a handful of other funerals in recent years but didn’t show up.

LDS Church officials declined to comment Wednesday on the Westboro Baptist Church or its planned protest.

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Friday, February 1st, 2008

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Plan emerges from Smart chaos

SALT LAKE CITY Temple Square, the NBA Utah Jazz and the Wasatch Range are just a few things to love about Salt Lake City. The traditional yet hip metropolis keeps one foot firmly planted in history, the other on the cusp of innovation. Utah capital is a flourishing educational, financial, technological and cultural center with a population that is predominately under 40.

Buoyed by the success of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Utah largest city has turned into a top vacation destination. Skiers can get off a jet at Salt Lake International Airport and be on a slope in less than an hour. The snow is something to shout about light, dry and plentiful. Ten resorts in the Salt Lake City area receive more than 500 inches of snow a year.

Year-round, the Wasatch and Oquirrh ranges provide recreation. During our visit in late spring, snow dusts the peaks, but the rumpled green flanks are stippled with wildflowers. We come expecting to tour historic sites and get a good look at the Great Salt Lake, but quickly we discover that this city offers so much more.

The motorcoaches of the And 1 touring basketball squad weigh down the entranceway of Hotel Monaco. While the bell staff unloads our luggage, we hear music playing in the next block. The band, Saliva, headlines a festival at Gallivan Center. Throngs of fans surge down sidewalks, while a few blocks away, participants in Utah Pride Weekend gather to party.

Hotel Monaco lobby is upholstered and fringed luxury beginning with a chic harem bed positioned at the door. Guestrooms defy cookie-cutter design with great flamboyance. A goldfish in a bowl, leopard-motif bathrobes and Snickers bars on pillows are whimsical touches, distinguishing marks of Kimpton Hotels. The hotel restaurant Bambara makes good use of the space once occupied by Continental Bank. The ambience of stuffed velvet benches softens the utilitarian lines of the open kitchen where executive chef Robert Barker moves at lightning speed.

We walk to Temple Square, Utah top tourist attraction. Riotously blooming flowers, sculptures and fountains embrace the six-spired Salt Lake Temple and the Tabernacle. Temple Square is the heart of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more familiarly known as the Mormon Church. Only church members may enter the temple. Visitor tours are available for the other buildings, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs for free two days a week.

Mormon history dominates Utah history. Church leader Brigham Young and his followers arrived here in 1847, and built a settlement in the wilderness. The city maintains the founder checkerboard grid with the temple as its center.

Brigham Young Historic Park and the Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument pay tribute to the achievements of the earliest settlers. The Beehive House served as Young official residence when he was president of the Mormon Church and governor of the Utah Territory. It gets its name from the wooden beehive perched on the roof. This symbol reflects the hard-working nature of Utah pioneers. From this corner, the Eagle Gate arches across State Street and South Temple. The worldwide headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Mormon Family History Library occupy adjacent blocks. Gardens burgeoning with fragrant flowers soften the appearance of the high, massive and imposing buildings.

Utah Capitol Building rises above a leafy neighborhood and the Pioneer Memorial Museum. A little green vale, known as Memory Grove Park, is just down the hill. This quiet enclave is a favorite among locals.

This city of 182,000 welcomed the world to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. At Olympic Legacy Plaza, statues and gardens commemorate this shining time in the city history. Fountains spew water to music, much to the delight of children who dance in the sunshine. The plaza is a component of The Gateway, an open-air complex of theaters, restaurants, shops, a residential tower, the Clark Planetarium, the historic Union Pacific Depot and Discovery Gateway, a family-focused learning center. Across the street, the Utah Jazz plays at the Energy Solutions Arena.

Shopping bags dangle from wrists of fashionistas at Trolley Square. Renovated trolley-car barns were transformed into trendy boutiques at this downtown mall. Nightclubs and restaurants attract a lively crowd, particularly on nights when outdoor concerts are held.

These prime shopping and nightlife areas get an enthusiastic nod from Salt Lake City generous mix of bookstore browsers, microbrew guzzlers, vegetarians, pet lovers and extreme-sports enthusiasts. Cultural venues fit nicely into the entertainment scene. A coral-hued Dale Chihuly glass sculpture graces the foyer at Abravanel Hall, palatial home of the Utah Symphony and Opera. The Repertory Dance Theater, oldest modern dance company in the West, can be seen at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. On Pierpont Street, people watch artists at work in studios in historic warehouses. Fine art, photography, pottery, glassware and jewelry are available at Utah Artist Hands, a downtown gallery.

Architect Moshe Safdie designed the Salt Lake City Public Library to have a four-story-tall, windowed reading area. People quaff coffee at a cafe, sit in a rooftop garden, visit shops and relax in a piazza with reflecting pools and fountains.

The Foothills Cultural District is home to the University of Utah, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Pioneer Theatre Company and the Utah Museum of Natural History. Fort Douglas, a military historic site, represents the past, and Olympic Cauldron Park, mirrors a new chapter in the city history.

We can visit Salt Lake City without going to the Great Salt Lake. It measures 92 miles north to south and 48 miles east to west. We drive northward about 30 miles to reach Antelope Island, the largest of the lake 10 islands.

Flock of gulls feed on the brine shrimp; colonies are so profuse that the water looks pink. Sixty springs create wetlands that serve migrating birds as well as resident animals, such as buffalo, mule deer, bighorn sheep and pronghorns. We see an antelope at White Rock Bay, one of about 700 that live on the island.

From Buffalo Point overlook, we scan the immense lake and a landscape of dry vegetation and jutting rocks. Green bands mark locations of springs. We slather on sunblock and begin a hike at Bridger Bay. Life leaps everywhere. Jackrabbits, snakes and salamanders scatter into the scrub. The scent of sage perfumes the air.

Buffalo herds congregate at springs en route to the Fielding Garr Ranch. Now a historic site, the ranch is a testament of pioneer endurance. The Garr family set up a homestead in 1848. The isolated ranch grew into an operation with 10,000 sheep.

Schoolchildren scurry through the barn asking the hosts about implements and horses in the corral. I poke my head inside the sheepherder wagon. It plain and simple. Blue enamelware rests neatly on the counter; a bed wears a brown coverlet.

Before we return to Salt Lake City, we extend our excursion to Brigham City and the Golden Spike National Historic Site. On May 10, 1869, the locomotives from the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads met for the first time. Officials celebrated with much fanfare the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Replica locomotives sit on tracks, and a small museum explains the national importance of the rail link.

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Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

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Salt Lake City

Want to use this article? Click here for options!

SALT LAKE CITY 鈥?Temple Square, the NBA鈥檚 Utah Jazz and the Wasatch Range are just a few things to love about Salt Lake City. The traditional yet hip metropolis keeps one foot firmly planted in history, the other on the cusp of innovation. Utah鈥檚 capital is a flourishing educational, financial, technological and cultural center with a population that is predominately under 40.

Buoyed by the success of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Utah鈥檚 largest city has turned into a top vacation destination. Skiers can get off a jet at Salt Lake International Airport and be on a slope in less than an hour. The snow is something to shout about 鈥?light, dry and plentiful. Ten resorts in the Salt Lake City area receive more than 500 inches of snow a year.

Year-round, the Wasatch and Oquirrh ranges provide recreation. During our visit in late spring, snow dusts the peaks, but the rumpled green flanks are stippled with wildflowers. We come expecting to tour historic sites and get a good look at the Great Salt Lake, but quickly we discover that this city offers so much more.

The motorcoaches of the And 1 touring basketball squad weigh down the entranceway of Hotel Monaco. While the bell staff unloads our luggage, we hear music playing in the next block. The band, Saliva, headlines a festival at Gallivan Center. Throngs of fans surge down sidewalks, while a few blocks away, participants in Utah Pride Weekend gather to party.

Hotel Monaco鈥檚 lobby is upholstered and fringed luxury beginning with a chic harem bed positioned at the door. Guestrooms defy cookie-cutter design with great flamboyance. A goldfish in a bowl, leopard-motif bathrobes and Snickers bars on pillows are whimsical touches, distinguishing marks of Kimpton Hotels. The hotel鈥檚 restaurant Bambara makes good use of the space once occupied by Continental Bank. The ambience of stuffed velvet benches softens the utilitarian lines of the open kitchen where executive chef Robert Barker moves at lightning speed.

We walk to Temple Square, Utah鈥檚 top tourist attraction. Riotously blooming flowers, sculptures and fountains embrace the six-spired Salt Lake Temple and the Tabernacle. Temple Square is the heart of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more familiarly known as the Mormon Church. Only church members may enter the temple. Visitor tours are available for the other buildings, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs for free two days a week.

Mormon history dominates Utah鈥檚 history. Church leader Brigham Young and his followers arrived here in 1847, and built a settlement in the wilderness. The city maintains the founder鈥檚 checkerboard grid with the temple as its center.

Brigham Young Historic Park and the Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument pay tribute to the achievements of the earliest settlers. The Beehive House served as Young鈥檚 official residence when he was president of the Mormon Church and governor of the Utah Territory. It gets its name from the wooden beehive perched on the roof. This symbol reflects the hard-working nature of Utah鈥檚 pioneers. From this corner, the Eagle Gate arches across State Street and South Temple. The worldwide headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Mormon Family History Library occupy adjacent blocks. Gardens burgeoning with fragrant flowers soften the appearance of the high, massive and imposing buildings.

Utah鈥檚 Capitol Building rises above a leafy neighborhood and the Pioneer Memorial Museum. A little green vale, known as Memory Grove Park, is just down the hill. This quiet enclave is a favorite among locals.

This city of 182,000 welcomed the world to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. At Olympic Legacy Plaza, statues and gardens commemorate this shining time in the city鈥檚 history. Fountains spew water to music, much to the delight of children who dance in the sunshine. The plaza is a component of The Gateway, an open-air complex of theaters, restaurants, shops, a residential tower, the Clark Planetarium, the historic Union Pacific Depot and Discovery Gateway, a family-focused learning center. Across the street, the Utah Jazz plays at the Energy Solutions Arena.

Shopping bags dangle from wrists of fashionistas at Trolley Square. Renovated trolley-car barns were transformed into trendy boutiques at this downtown mall. Nightclubs and restaurants attract a lively crowd, particularly on nights when outdoor concerts are held.

These prime shopping and nightlife areas get an enthusiastic nod from Salt Lake City鈥檚 generous mix of bookstore browsers, microbrew guzzlers, vegetarians, pet lovers and extreme-sports enthusiasts. Cultural venues fit nicely into the entertainment scene. A coral-hued Dale Chihuly glass sculpture graces the foyer at Abravanel Hall, palatial home of the Utah Symphony and Opera. The Repertory Dance Theater, oldest modern dance company in the West, can be seen at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. On Pierpont Street, people watch artists at work in studios in historic warehouses. Fine art, photography, pottery, glassware and jewelry are available at Utah Artist Hands, a downtown gallery.

Architect Moshe Safdie designed the Salt Lake City Public Library to have a four-story-tall, windowed reading area. People quaff coffee at a cafe, sit in a rooftop garden, visit shops and relax in a piazza with reflecting pools and fountains.

The Foothills Cultural District is home to the University of Utah, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Pioneer Theatre Company and the Utah Museum of Natural History. Fort Douglas, a military historic site, represents the past, and Olympic Cauldron Park, mirrors a new chapter in the city鈥檚 history.

We can鈥檛 visit Salt Lake City without going to the Great Salt Lake. It measures 92 miles north to south and 48 miles east to west. We drive northward about 30 miles to reach Antelope Island, the largest of the lake鈥檚 10 islands.

Flock of gulls feed on the brine shrimp; colonies are so profuse that the water looks pink. Sixty springs create wetlands that serve migrating birds as well as resident animals, such as buffalo, mule deer, bighorn sheep and pronghorns. We see an antelope at White Rock Bay, one of about 700 that live on the island.

From Buffalo Point overlook, we scan the immense lake and a landscape of dry vegetation and jutting rocks. Green bands mark locations of springs. We slather on sunblock and begin a hike at Bridger Bay. Life leaps everywhere. Jackrabbits, snakes and salamanders scatter into the scrub. The scent of sage perfumes the air.

Buffalo herds congregate at springs en route to the Fielding Garr Ranch. Now a historic site, the ranch is a testament of pioneer endurance. The Garr family set up a homestead in 1848. The isolated ranch grew into an operation with 10,000 sheep.

Schoolchildren scurry through the barn asking the hosts about implements and horses in the corral. I poke my head inside the sheepherder鈥檚 wagon. It鈥檚 plain and simple. Blue enamelware rests neatly on the counter; a bed wears a brown coverlet.

Before we return to Salt Lake City, we extend our excursion to Brigham City and the Golden Spike National Historic Site. On May 10, 1869, the locomotives from the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads met for the first time. Officials celebrated with much fanfare the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Replica locomotives sit on tracks, and a small museum explains the national importance of the rail link.

Linda Lange may be reached at 865-342-6433. She is travel editor of the News Sentinel.

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Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

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